agree thru OF. otherwise, ask for reference by pm like requesting buyer's facebook account, or email then exchange message to confirm.
Yikes! I will definitely have to be more careful with references, etc. A public venue alone is not enough.
you simply dint get it. references by fb or friends is one important rule if you buy watch 1st time from unfamiliar seller/buyer. OF follows and practices that, that why even for repairs of special vintage, OF cares to refer and suggest a reliable watchmaker. verify. verify.
I do not believe it’s that @yvrclimber didn’t get it. Indeed, a public venue may not be enough even in combination with references. Thats a reasonable takeaway from the video. And certainly, OF is definitely a safer platform; it is, to a degree, self policing and experts here will often call bullshit on misrepresentation. I would never meet someone without speaking with them first. At the very least sharing a series of initial text or email conversations to gauge authenticity and intent (I know, not a given). Still, I’ve passed on a number of local deals based on this vetting process. They did not pass the smell test, as it were. Now this is a reverse situation (me buyer, not seller) but careful and mutual vetting by both parties made the following purchase painful and free of issue. I very recently bought a Speedmaster on Kijiji, after losing out on a FOIS I found on Craigslist. In both cases, the seller and I knew from initial texts and subsequent conversations both individuals were trustworthy and legit. In fact, the FOIS seller and I met later for an apologetic coffee (he knew I was disappointed at him selling the watch after promising to call me). As I assumed from our interactions, he was cool and a passionate collector. The Kijiji Speedy I scored was a dream come true. It was out of town. (Sidebar to Canadian viewers: I live in Vancouver where CL is the rule; Kijiji is used more often across Canada. The Speedmaster was in Calgary, which is my home city so I knew the shop to go to for verification.) The seller listed an email and phone number, so I called straight away. We connected immediately and again, we knew from our discussion we were both absolutely trustworthy. We agreed to all shared terms, and I had a family member meet him at the shop from which the watch was initially purchased. He followed through. So did I. Painless. No bearspray. Not to say the victim of bearspray didn’t practice due diligence, but if he was smart he would have met the person in the jewellery shop or watchmaker, not on the way to the agreed upon location. And a watch of such high value needs a little more circumspection than a casual stroll with a stranger to transact a $25,000 deal.
Oh, I get it. So far, all my F2F transactions have been watch purchases. My only sales have been to friends or people I've previously bought from / met. With the purchases, I've depended on OF and CWC references internal to the forums themselves. And/or checking with my local watch collector friends of they've purchased from them before. A little tougher with eBay, but I've only bought there once or twice and no F2F. I'm approaching a stage of selling off some pieces and will keep this sobering video in mind.